Increasing of resistance to abiotic stresses is one of the important tasks in breeding activity. Aim of the work is to evaluate suitability of morphological-and-physiological traits of plant root system for breeding for abiotic resistance. Twenty-one samples of spring barley (Hordeum vulgaris L.) were studied. As a stressor 1 mM of aluminum sulphate was used. Resistance level was estimated by relative root length (RRL, ratio of root length in test to control) and mass ratio of roots to shoots (root-to-shoot ratio, RSR). Oxidizing root activity and transpiration intensity of leaves were determined in terms of root mass. RRL changed from 76.8 % (line 177-07) up to 93.4 % (Sunshine variety) and had 6.2 % level of variation. Relative index RSR varied from 83.5 (line 177-07) up to 121.9 % (Persey variety), coefficient of variation – 13.4 %. Relative oxidizing activity changed from 69.1 (line 33-11) up to 13.2 % (Sunshine variety), coefficient of variation – 17 %. Relative transpiration intensity varied from 43.8 (line 484-09) up to 198.0 % (line 52-12), coefficient of variation – 39.8 %. For evaluation of integral level of resistance, relative levels of development of all parameters were summed up. More resistant genotype has lower total deviation of relative parameters from 100 %. For example, in Odessky 22 variety (in %): deviation in RRL (100 – 93.2) = 6.8; in RSR (103.1 – 100) = 3.1; in oxidizing activity (101.8 – 100) = 1.8; in transpiration intensity (100 – 83.1) = 16.9. Total index: 6.8 + 3.1 + 1.8 + 16.9 = 28.6 %. The second way of the data use is cluster analysis. The studied set of barley genotypes was divided into three clusters taking into account all four traits. To increase the level of stress resistance, it is necessary to cross genotypes from different clusters. So, all four traits of resistance may be used simultaneously for evaluation of total index of resistance in studied samples, as well as for their joining into clusters by similarity in reaction to stress.